Fencing Tactics Analysis in Broadcast Video: A Point-by-Point Analytical System

In this paper, a system for tactic analysis of fencing video is developed. The proposed system uses three novel views for presenting the tactic and critical distance of fencers in a match point-by-point. Since fencers fight each other directly, identifying the moment of launching an attack is crucial for analyzing fencing tactics. A criterion function in terms of the speed and acceleration of a fencer and the tempo of the fencer's footwork is proposed for identifying that moment. In addition, a rule-based approach based on the fencer speed and distance is proposed for recognizing the offensive tactic used to score a hit. Three experiments on the video clips for finals and semi-finals of individual events of the World Fencing Championships in 2013-2015 were conducted for evaluating the proposed system. The experiment also included objective and subjective assessments of twelve fencers. The experimental results have demonstrated the feasibility of the proposed approach.